Director, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Lab Ahmanson Lovelace Brain Mapping Center
David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA

My research focuses on the neural basis and functional mechanisms of sensorimotor integration. Sensorimotor integration is a fundamental aspect of human behavior and is necessary to perform the most basic acts in everyday life, like reaching for a cup and grasping it. I study sensorimotor integration at three main levels of complexity. First, I address basic mechanisms of sensorimotor integration using both behavioral (accuracy, reaction times) and physiological (blood flow changes, corticospinal excitability) parameters. Second, I study more complex levels of sensorimotor integration by investigating the neural correlates of imitation and the human mirror system. Third, I address even higher levels of sensorimotor integration studying the relationships between action representation and complex integrative functions, such as social cognition and theory of mind.